ProfessorLayton:You know... I still don't see how anyone would be upset that you can turn off the 3D...

I think the idea is that despite not HAVING to use the 3D, most games will anyways. Like the Wii and it's motion controls, or early DS games and the touch screen. It won't be until people have gotten over the "oooh, shiny new tech. Lets have it every where." phase that the 3D aspect wont be shoehorned into most 3DS games.

Eric the Orange:I think the idea is that despite not HAVING to use the 3D, most games will anyways. Like the Wii and it's motion controls, or early DS games and the touch screen. It won't be until people have gotten over the "oooh, shiny new tech. Lets have it every where." phase that the 3D aspect wont be shoehorned into most 3DS games.

Exactly... but you won't have to use it. It will only be used for the top screen so I'm assuming only videos will be in 3D and I can't think of a single situation in which you would absolutely need something to be in 3D that you can't get in 2D. That's why a lot of movies, even if they're made in 3D like Avatar, have 2D versions for the people who can't see it or the people who don't like it. Yes, developers will still use 3D, but you can turn it off and you won't be able to see it. On the Wii, games had the option to use the controller but a lot of them didn't because motion controls were used so heavily in the game. Even if 3D is used heavily in the game, there will never be a time where you absolutely cannot do something in 2D.

ProfessorLayton:You know... I still don't see how anyone would be upset that you can turn off the 3D...

I think the idea is that despite not HAVING to use the 3D, most games will anyways. Like the Wii and it's motion controls, or early DS games and the touch screen. It won't be until people have gotten over the "oooh, shiny new tech. Lets have it every where." phase that the 3D aspect wont be shoehorned into most 3DS games.

You're misunderstanding the tech (well, either that or I am). The system has a slider that lets you adjust the strength of the 3D effect via the hardware. Think of it like a volume control, only for visuals.

It isn't the SOFTWARE that's determining the 3D effect, it's the hardware. You can force it to 2D, which means that the overlapping image just gets fully integrated.

Exactly... but you won't have to use it. It will only be used for the top screen so I'm assuming only videos will be in 3D and I can't think of a single situation in which you would absolutely need something to be in 3D that you can't get in 2D. That's why a lot of movies, even if they're made in 3D like Avatar, have 2D versions for the people who can't see it or the people who don't like it. Yes, developers will still use 3D, but you can turn it off and you won't be able to see it. On the Wii, games had the option to use the controller but a lot of them didn't because motion controls were used so heavily in the game. Even if 3D is used heavily in the game, there will never be a time where you absolutely cannot do something in 2D.

As I Haven't seen it I can't say, but the only thing that comes to mind is a situation where you have to identify which things are 3D and which are 2D. Like the glowing parts on bosses in starfox for example, but instead of making them glow they just make those parts 3D. I guess you could still play the game but without the help those would provide it would become much harder. Or perhaps in a puzzle or RPG things that you could interact with.

You're misunderstanding the tech (well, either that or I am). The system has a slider that lets you adjust the strength of the 3D effect via the hardware. Think of it like a volume control, only for visuals.

It isn't the SOFTWARE that's determining the 3D effect, it's the hardware. You can force it to 2D, which means that the overlapping image just gets fully integrated.

I like to think of it more like the contrast on the original gameboys. As for the second paragraph, the same thing could be said about the Wii or DS. The touch screen and the Wii mote are hardware, but the software is what tells it when and where to implement them.

I'd like to point out here that the idea that people who can't see 3D wont be able to use the 3DS is not one I'll completely agree with or not until I get a chance to play with it. But I'm just trying to explain the other sides feelings I guess.

I may have had a similar reaction in digital format. Instead of jumping out of the chair, it was new tab, punch in site, pause video while loading, sign up, squeel like Kathleen around a kitten. No one was around or saw it, thus my manliness remains intact.

ProfessorLayton:You know... I still don't see how anyone would be upset that you can turn off the 3D...

It's not so much the fact that you can turn it off as it is the fact that all games will be designed to use it, and playing with it turned off will probably be harder to visually process. Never mind the fact that developers will essentially have to make every game in 2D and 3D, thus probably raising game prices a fair chunk...